Something to Think About

Isabel Giovannetti loved politics from the moment she saw Wolf Blitzer hologram a correspondent into the CNN studio on election night. In the 7 years since, she has had many spirited arguments on everything from socialized health care to the degree of Mike Huckabee’s idiocy. However, over time, she has come to realize that politics is not about scoring points, but about having conversations and making progress. This blog aims to be a platform for such conversations.

Throughout the 2016 campaigns, it has been difficult to differentiate empty arguments from policy discussion. But in a year when so many important changes are bound to occur, it’s essential that voters are informed about the issues. Here are some the issues that I think will play the biggest role on the national stage come November… READ MORE

There are a lot of things that one might look for in a politician. Economic sensibility, effective foreign policy, meaningful social stances. But policy failure is not the reason why Alabama governor Robert Bentley is currently facing the possibility of impeachment charges. No, the Governor had an affair. READ MORE

Equal opportunity, universal suffrage, freedom of thought. These are all basic tenets that we associate with a democratic society. There is one more, however, that makes the rest possible: a free press. America’s journalists have played a fundamental role in politics since before the Progressive Era. From Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle to Woodward and Bernstein’s coverage of Watergate… READ MORE

Ever since World War II, Americans have held the idea that our country serves as a beacon of hope for the rest of the world. We are the symbol for democracy, freedom of expression, equality. And that is true to a certain extent. I am proud to live in a democratic society where political satire is legal and people are free to say what they want. READ MORE

Watching the news, it’s easy to feel a little bit hopeless. Night after night, all I see on TV are reports about how a certain candidate said a terrible thing, or how these politicians can’t agree on anything. We hear about the do-nothing Congress… READ MORE

Florida, it is almost time. After Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada and Super Tuesday, it is finally our turn. On Tuesday, March 8, Floridians will get the chance to cast their votes in the 2016 presidential primaries. Historically, Florida voters have played a pretty influential role in elections. We are considered a swing state, and are therefore heavily pursued by presidential candidates. READ MORE

After a tough, fourth place finish on Saturday in the South Carolina primaries, it finally happened. Jeb Bush dropped out of the Republican race to be president. Truthfully, it has been a long time coming. Even by last fall, it was clear that the Bush campaign did not have what it takes to win the nomination. READ MORE

There’s a lot of hypocrisy in the world of politics. In fact, I’d say it’s pretty inescapable. It can be found on both sides of the aisle, too. Democrats are often seen as contradicting themselves in their anti-death penalty, yet pro-choice stance. And that is just one example. Democratic politicians are caught all of the time changing their stances for political expediency… READ MORE

As a country, we’ve waged a lot of wars. International and domestic, won and kind of won. We’ve fought a war of independence, a war against ourselves, a world war. This campaign season, the right has brought war-waging to a new level- figurative. It is impossible to watch a GOP debate without hearing battle cries against the “politically correct.” READ MORE

After months of speculation, it finally happened. The Iowa caucus. The caucus receives a lot of attention, mostly because it is the first vote of the election. But in reality, it isn’t very telling of the final the result. READ MORE

Remember the ladies. I could not agree more with the wise words written by Abigail Adams, asking her husband to keep American women in mind at the Constitutional Convention in 1776.Unfortunately, John Adams must have forgotten to remember… READ MORE

I’d say it was probably five feet. Yeah. I was just five feet away from Vice President Joe Biden when he was whisked away by the Secret Service last Thursday. I almost shook his hand too. But as the VP shouted his sincerest apologies, I couldn’t seem to remember how to speak. READ MORE

Despite the fact that we are still a year away from the 2016 presidential election, campaign reporting clogs news cycles. Every other article on the Politics page of CNN.com is either on a not-so-surprising new poll or on yet another fascinating comment from Donald Trump. READ MORE

Public servants and politicians. They’re one and the same, right? Wrong. In fact, the difference is pretty clear. When people hear the word politician, they generally think of someone who is greedy, corrupt and selfish. READ MORE

After months of Bush-Clinton rivalries, noisy debates and Trump being Trump, it’s hard to imagine any more big players entering the 2016 stage. But many on the left (myself included) are holding out hope for the unimaginable. READ MORE

With the first democratic debate just around the corner, everyone on the news is talking about a Sanders versus Clinton showdown. Both candidates have been holding rallies, making speeches, pooling together support. READ MORE

Everyone loves the Pope. If you own a television or a computer or, actually, ever leave your house, you are probably aware that Pope Francis made a visit to the United States last week. This is a big deal and for a lot of reasons. READ MORE

Political parties. You either love them or you hate them, but our governmental system could not exist without them. Congress relies on the existence of majority and minority parties in order to function. READ MORE

Bernie Sanders has messy hair. If you look him up on Google, almost all of the images show him with his disheveled white hair, pointing at someone, looking like he’s about to say something important. READ MORE

Politics. For a lot of people, it’s a dirty word. When they hear it, they think of taxes, over-regulation, corruption. If you’re under 18, however, your first thought is probably of that lecture that you slept through in government class freshman year. But who can blame you, really? READ MORE